Under the Willow
by Oriondruid
Summary: Rue meets Prim after they die, they realise they're 'deep in the meadow' and that all their fears and tragedies are over. Contains spoilers for the books. Rated K only for known character deaths. 'Here it is the place where I love you'. Dedicated to 'The little girl who didn't live', but who should have! Blessed Be dear Rue.


**Under the Willow**

By Oriondruid.

**Disclaimer:** As should be self evident from my site profile I am not Suzanne Collins. Therefore I hold no claim to these characters. They are all the brilliant work of the author herself and I thank her for the opportunity to 'play' in her world for a while.

**Author's Note:** This story is dedicated to_'The little girl who didn't live', _but who should have! Blessed Be dear Rue.

The meadow is beautiful, filled with luscious green grass and vivid with colourful wild flowers. A babbling crystal clear stream flows across the grassland and fills the air with a sound almost like laughter. Beside the stream there is a large willow tree and in it's shade a young girl sits.

She is beautiful young child of perhaps twelve years old, with caramel skin and masses of curly dark brown hair, tied in bunches each side of her head by two blue ribbons, each with a decorative little blue and yellow flower clipped to them. The girl is wearing a pretty lightweight sun dress, the same colour as her ribbons. The dress has the same flower motif across it's midriff.

Her name is Rue, that much she remembers clearly, although everything else before she arrived in this place is like a blurred and distant dream. She doesn't know how long she has been here or how she arrived, but she doesn't much care as it is so lovely. The sun shines brightly in a clear blue sky and the breeze is warm, making the daisies and other wild flowers dance with each gentle gust.

The girl softly whistles a four note tune repeatedly to herself as she watches small fish dart about in the stream. Time means nothing here in her meadow, there is no hunger, no darkness, no fear, just a certainty she is loved and a vast sense of peace.

Suddenly Rue's reverie is broken by a young girl's voice which speaks to her, saying. _"Hello there, Could you please tell me where this place is? Only I'm not sure how I got here or where I am."_

Rue looks up at the newcomer, seeing a fair skinned, blond haired and blue eyed girl not much older than herself. Her long hair is in braids hanging down below her shoulders and her face seems strangely familiar to Rue, but she can't seem to place it.

She replies to the newcomer, smiling and saying in a friendly way. _"Hello there yourself, I'm afraid I don't know where we are. I've just been sat here trying to recall how I got here myself. My name is Rue, come and sit with me here in the shade and maybe we can figure things out together."_

As the girl draws closer to Rue she suddenly knows her face. _"I remember you!" _Rue says_. "I know where I've seen you before, my dear friend Katniss showed me a picture of you she carried with her to The Capitol! You're Prim, your her sister, aren't you?"_

Then the memories come flooding back to both young girls at the mention of Katniss's name.

The blond girl takes a seat on the grass in the willow tree's shade next to Rue then, looking sad, she takes her hand saying, _"You know what this means don't you Rue, what's happened to us and where we are?"_

"_Yes, I'm afraid I do Prim."_ Rue replies. _"I remember it all now, I was in the Arena and I was killed, a spear hit me and it hurt so much. But then Katniss held me and sang to me so beautifully that all the fear and pain were driven away. The next thing I knew I was here in this lovely place."_

"_I remember how I died too."_ Prim tells Rue. _"It was in the attack on President Snow's mansion, the bombs fell and so many were killed, but I think we won, anyway I hope we did. Well, now at least we both know where we are, we're in Katniss's song Deep In The Meadow. I wonder if this is heaven?"_

"_I don't know Prim."_ Rue replies._ "But it is very lovely here, let's just sit a while and see if anyone else comes, I've got a feeling we won't be alone long. We can sing together whilst we wait."_

And then, as the two young girls happily sit hand in hand and without a trace of sorrow, their clear beautiful voices ring out in perfect harmony and their song is joined by a mockingjay sitting high in their willow tree, as they sing...

Deep in the meadow, under the willow  
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow  
Lay down your head, and close your eyes  
And when they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, and here it's warm  
Here the daisies guard you from every harm  
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true  
Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away  
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray  
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay  
And when it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe, and here it's warm  
Here the daisies guard you from every harm  
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true  
Here is the place where I love you.


End file.
